India begins game of war along Pak border

India kicked off war games involving thousands of troops Monday along its border with Pakistan, which is still smarting from the US operation that killed Osama bin Laden.
A military spokesman told reporters the six-day exercise, codenamed Vijayee Bhava (Be Victorious) was being held in the Thar desert region in the Indian state of Rajasthan. “This exercise envisages sustained massed mechanised manoeuvres,” SD Goswami said, adding the drill involved an array of weaponry that India has acquired as part of its ongoing military modernisation programme.
More than 20,000 combat troops were taking part. ‘Vijayee Bhava’, the 9th to 14th May inter-services exercise, will involve tank to tank wars, helicopter operations and others, Army officials said.
“Battlefield tactics for warfare are being practised in the exercise which also aims at fine-tuning the concept of Cold Start doctrine,” an official said.
Cold Start was a military doctrine developed by the Indian Armed Forces in 2004 and involves joint operations between the three main services Army, Navy, and Air Force.
The Indian army, the world’s fourth largest in terms of personnel, has conducted 10 major military exercises along Pakistan’s border in the past six years.